This recipe is based on the Couscous with Tomato and Onion from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook which I am obsessed with. It has so many ideas for new ways to prepare fresh and simple food, with a heavy emphasis on vegetarian recipes. I altered the recipe to remove the butter and reduce the amount of oil generally, as well as reducing the amount of water used to prepare the couscous to make the couscous less soggy once cooked (as it continues to cook and absorb liquid when in the stove). I served it with a simple zucchini and fennel side salad – ribbons of zucchini (using a potato peeler), shaved fennel (using a mandolin) dressing with a squeeze of lemon and olive oil, sprinkled with fennel fronds (recipe outlined briefly below). You might also like this Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Salad which has been very popular, also inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi. Ready in just over 10 minutes, and absolutely delicious!
Make a meal of it – try this with a side of:
Easy Soft Flatbread Recipe (No Yeast) with Hummus (try this traditional Hummus with Lamb!) Tomato, Cucumber Spiced Chickpea Salad (another Yotam Ottolenghi recipe) Add a main – Chicken Shawarma or Lamb Shawarma, Lamb Koftas or Moroccan Meatballs Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Nuts
